This Is Not A Fairytale
by Caerina
Summary: Armed with her intelligence and a holier-than-thou attitude, Hermione is sent into the 40s with the single goal of preventing the rise of the Dark Lord. Between their battles of wit, ladies' classes she is failing, a forbidden romance and insane professors playing matchmakers, it seems that 40s in Hogwarts are true hell for Hermione. But, she isn't going down without a fight. HG/TR
1. This Is Not A Good Plan

**This Is Not A Fairytale **

Hello everyone! This is my first longer story set in an HP universe. I have some really high expectations for this, and I really have a whole bunch of ideas I want to incorporate. I will be using some OC characters but will also try and keep dear Hermione as IC as I can. The story begins in 1994. and will span over the next few years after the graduation. It will follow Hermione and her small international team of students who are sent back in time to prevent the young Dark Lord from becoming a Dark Lord. Unfortunately for them, it won't be as easy as they hope it will be, fortunately for me and my readers it will be full of adventure, drama, romance and even some angst.

I truly appreciate constructive criticism but don't be mean just because you can leave a review. If you don't like the story, you don't have to read it, so nasty comments and words are completely unnecessary. I'll be keeping the rating T for now, but it might change in the future. I'll be posting every 7-10 days since I am writing this as I go. English is not my native language, Serbian is, so I am sorry for the mistakes. If anyone is interested in betaing the story, I'll be glad to accept the offer (PM me or leave it in the review!) ^_^

R&R since it takes just a couple of minutes for you to do so, but means a world to the writer!

Chocolate kisses and candy hugs for all of you!

-Caerina

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_**CHAPTER 1 - This Is Not A Good Plan...**_

It started out like a lot of other adventures – with a crazy idea that had nothing to do with her. So how did, for the love of everything fluffy and pink, Hermione Granger get herself entangled into this mess?

Sitting in a large comfy chair at the Headmistress McGonagall's office was bliss. Hermione's mind started drifting off into daydreams, lulled into comfort by the beautiful smell of books and wood. She has been waiting for the last half an hour for the Headmistress to appear, but there was still no sign of her, so her guard was completely down.

At first, Hermione was a bit worried when she heard that the Headmistress asked for her. Was her work as the newly appointed Head Girl not up to the standards of Hogwarts? She gave her best, but it was sometimes so hard to split her time between her duties, school work and her friends. She patrolled a lot, helped solve problems until late at prefect meetings, then she would run to the library and study for her NEWTs. While her last school year started just three weeks ago, Hermione could already feel that it's taking its toll on her.

Alas, her problems weren't just revolving around school. Hermione found herself often strategizing and working on newest plans of attack and defense with the Order. The situation with the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters was getting tense and more serious than ever. Somehow, Hermione could practically feel that their chances of victory were getting slimmer by the day. And Harry, her dear friend was slowly losing hope and confidence in himself and the victory also. He needed his friends to be there for him, and Hermione couldn't let him down no matter how busy she was, or how late it was at night.

But now, all those problems seemed distant. Hermione didn't have the time to relax and spend time with herself for weeks now, and she could feel her eyes slowly start to close under the pressure of her tiredness. Seconds before she drifted to sleep there was a loud noise coming from behind her and she sobered up and straightened in the chair, trying to look as sharp and ready for action as ever. Few mixed voices entered the room, arguing and discussing something that sounded important. Hermione turned her head towards the crowd.

It was led by the Headmistress McGonagall who held a rather large, old-looking book in her hands. Flanking her from the sides were two people Hermione couldn't recognize. Their accents were foreign, suggesting they were from Germany and France. They were apparently arguing with each other, while the Headmistress stood between them like a neutral zone and not too happy to be there as she gave no support to either of the men. Behind that trio, there were two young men dressed in dark Durmstrang uniforms and a petite girl in blue Beauxbaton robes.

"This is Miss Granger, our Head Girl" McGonagall said in a hard voice that cut through the argument and made all the eyes in the room to turn towards her, in complete silence "I apologize for the delay. But, now that we are all here, I believe it is time for some explanations."

Headmistress now stood behind her large, wooden table, obviously more relaxed without the two men arguing at her sides. Instead, one of the men sat into the second chair next to Hermione, throwing a mean look to the other man who was left standing at his side. The three students were standing behind them in silence. McGonagall put the large book onto the table. Hermione curiously glanced towards it, disappointed to find out that the title was written in runes she couldn't recognize from her studies.

"Miss Granger these are Mr. Cousteau sent by the French Ministry and Mr. Fuhrmann from the German Ministry. They are both here to advise and assist," McGonagall said, punctuating both words "And also, you've probably noticed Mr. Adler and Mr. Krause from Durmstrang and Miss Croix from Beauxbaton Academy."

Hermione nodded slightly, trying to keep her calm façade, but inside she was quite confused. While people from other Ministries over Europe would come and assist the Order quite regularly, she never actually worked with any of them. So why was she now introduced to them as if they were going to work together? And who would be that much out of his mind to send foreign students to Britain, now when they have a Dark Lord on the loose and when Hogwarts is basically a battlefield? The serious look in McGonagall's eyes only added to the list of questions.

"I will try and make this as clear as I can, Miss Granger. Still, you will probably have questions, but I ask of you not to interrupt me until I finish," the Headmistress said "Everything that I am about to share with you cannot, under any circumstances leave this room. Do you understand?"

Hermione looked over to the two foreign advisors with suspicion, but then her gaze returned back to her professor. If this needed clearance from the other Ministries, it was probably something important and illegal. Knowing things like these was usually a death sentence for people. Did she really want to risk her already over-flowing plate with more obligations? Something in McGonagall's stern gaze told her she didn't have much choice.

"Yes, Headmistress McGonagall, but can I..?" McGonagall stopped her with a sharp and dismissive move of her hand. Alright, silence it is. Hermione closed her mouth and nodded slightly. It was obvious her Headmistress lost all the patience she had earlier and was not feeling up for another heavy argument.

"Miss Granger, you are already aware of the situation we are in and the fact that the war hasn't been going in the direction we need it to go. And, to make it all that worse, the chances of it turning to our side are slim at best," McGonagall laced her fingers in front of her as she watched the curly haired young woman nod "This made us and many others agree to take a somewhat drastic measure in order to salvage what is left. A plan that could turn the situation around or even reverse all the ill effects caused by it."

Hermione was a bright young woman, but she couldn't say she understood a word of what her Headmistress was saying. Reverse the effects? That wasn't possible. The scars ran far too deep for them to just disappear. It wasn't just the buildings that were destroyed, it was the people. They were irreversibly changed by the war and it wasn't something it could be reversed by any means. Hermione doubted even magic could do anything about it.

"The plan is very dangerous, Miss Granger, but you do realize that desperate times call for desperate measures," McGonagall sighed with a somewhat sad expression "And I couldn't even think about asking anyone else but you for this task. You are resourceful, smart and talented, everything we need for this to work."

At any other time, Hermione would be thrilled to hear such words of praise, but now those words just made her anxious. There was something about the tone McGonagall spoke in that made a strange chill pass down her spine. Hermione shuffled slightly in her chair, obviously uncomfortable.

"So, I will put this as plain as I can for both our sakes," McGonagall said firmly "You and the three students behind you will be sent back through time and will be tasked with destroying the Dark Lord before he becomes powerful enough to try and enslave the world."

Hermione was very much aware that her mouth just dropped open to McGonagall's words, but she couldn't find the willpower to close it. They wanted her, a mere student, to travel through time (not only it was impossible, according to the books, but was also very illegal) and kill the Darkest Wizard of all times while he was the Darkest-Wizard-of-all-times-in-training. A few words like impossible, crazy and absolutely out of her mind, crossed Hermione's mind as she watched McGonagall calmly open the book in front of her. The worst of all was that Hermione didn't really seem to have a choice in the matter.

"Can I… Ask something?" Hermione's voice was strained as she struggled with the words that were coming out of her mouth. Once McGonagall nodded, Hermione found herself unable to form a coherent question.

"H-how?" it was indeed one big, fat 'How', indeed. How did they manage to find a spell that would get them to travel through time? How were they supposed to kill him? How could they decide all this without telling her? Questions whirled around her head, but Hermione had trouble forming the words.

"Ancient Magic," McGonagall answered shortly "We have clearance of the highest level for this mission, Miss Granger. This collaboration is, after all, the only chance we have in winning this war at this point, and the Ministries understand that. Mr. Cousteau will be performing the ritual and Mr. Fuhrmann will give you the necessary information about the time period and will assist you with supplies."

Hermione was still looking at her Headmistress with her eyes wide. They were just going to throw this on her like this? Hermione always thought that if the miraculous opportunity presented itself and somehow she could help finish this war, she wouldn't even hesitate to accept it. Unfortunately, now that the choice was indeed there, she found it really hard to agree with the terms. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes. She wasn't rested enough for all this.

"I understand this feels like a lot to take in, Miss Granger," McGonagall's voice softened slightly "But this is the chance we have been waiting for, an opportunity to turn this war around and save so much. I also chose you, Miss Granger, because I know you would never let an opportunity like this slip through your hands."

At least she was being honest about it, Hermione thought tiredly. They were playing her and trying to corner her on the guilt card, influencing her basic nature to help others. Well, it was in a way a compliment on its own.

"Does the rest of the Order know?" Hermione asked, opening her eyes and sharply turning them to the Headmistress.

"No, this is a mission of international significance but also a secret. No one knows about it except the people in this room and their respective Ministers. We cannot allow a mistake now that we've gotten this far."

"What about Harry, Ron? What about every other student here?" Hermione continued.

"Both Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley are needed here, as you are already aware and I do not see any good in worrying them about this. Their plates, especially young Potter's, are already overflowing. As for the students, they," the Headmistress said sternly "Will all be dead if you decide to let this opportunity slide away, Miss Granger and we both know that. The answer is no, nobody except you will know anything about this mission."

As much as Hermione wanted to be angry with McGonagall, she just couldn't. The old Headmistress was right. They didn't stand a chance against the Dark Lord's forces which were growing each day. Harry's confidence was falling, Ron shut everything down and turned all of his attentions to Quidditch, pretending that the world wasn't in war. What was left of Hogwarts students were in a rather dreary mood. Ginny was still mourning after her father, Luna spent most of her time closed off in the library and Lavander just sat there, her face and eyes devoid of emotions. A sad end for such wonderful people.

But, it wasn't an end, was it? Not if she could make a difference. Taking a big breath in, Hermione nodded.

"What is the plan?" she asked resolutely.

A small, relieved smile lit McGonagall's face, but it quickly disappeared when she got back into her no-nonsense mode.

"Few years ago, when Dumbledore realized that the Dark Lord was returning he started working on a way to travel through long distances in time. Unfortunately, he didn't have the time to finish this project," McGongall explained "I continued his research and with the assistance of Mr. Cousteau managed to find an Ancient ritual powerful enough to do this. We have been planning this for the last two months, the team, the supplies, the new identities. Everything needs to be no less than perfect or the plan will surely fail."

Hermione took a few moments taking in everything that her Headmistress had told her. She nodded slightly at her as if telling her that she was ready to hear more. Hermione wasn't sure if that was the truth.

"You and the three of your future colleagues are the best our schools currently possess, and also the only ones we would dare send into such a serious situation. Anyone else would surely fail, but combining your strengths and weaknesses, the four of you actually stand a chance," the Headmistress said seriously "You will have four days to prepare for this and get acquainted better. We already have a prepared plan, but considering the mission is very peculiar and could easily change, I believe it is better for the four of you to decide upon the way you wish to follow."

The silence of the room was in stark contrast to the flowing thoughts in her head. Her head was somewhat hung as she stared into her fingers that were nervously straightening her skirt over her thighs. She couldn't really concentrate long on anything that McGonagall said to her, her thought passed her in a blur as her tiredness completely evaporated from her eyes. They were much sharper as she raised her head back up and looked at her Headmistress.

"So we will just disappear? You know as well as I do that Harry, Ron and others will ask questions," Hermione concluded "How will you explain them that I am fifty years back in time trying to destroy the Dark Lord and that there is a solid chance that I'm never coming back?"

"That is something you should leave up to me," McGonagall said calmly, not explaining anything further. Hermione raised her eyebrow indignantly.

"How will our actions in the past affect the future exactly?" Hermione read a whole bunch of books written about theories of time travel and what caught her attention more than anything were the terrible consequences. Chances were that if something goes wrong, the future will become much more screwed up than it is right now.

"Time is a very flexible thing, Miss Granger, and although we do not understand it completely at the moment, time has the talent of filling the blanks on its' own," McGonagall said "Time mends itself, so only major, irreversible events, such as killing someone or leaving a specific mark behind you, would have any direct effect on what is happening today."

Hermione could understand this, and while it didn't make her completely at ease it did take some of the weight from her shoulders. In order to change things they had to make some drastic changes to the past, or it would result in the same future as it is today.

"I have one more question Headmistress, if you will?" Hermione said with a deep sigh. There was really little doubt for her, she was going to accept this mission because she knew it was the only way. Any other way and she would spend the rest of her life blaming her and drowning in guilt. She would go through with this as much for herself as for the rest of the magical world.

"Is there any way for us to return?" she asked simply.

"No, Ms. Granger," her Headmistress smiled sadly "Once you are there you will have no way of returning here."

Hermione felt her heart speeding up for a notch. She was here because she was chosen by these people, because they had fate that she has what it takes to win this along with other students. As much as she feared her results, feared being dropped into a world without anything familiar to her, she had no right to fail their trust like that. Hermione nodded sternly, making her decision.

"When do we begin?" she asked.

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Hermione spent the next four days avoiding her best friends. She was apparently always busy with Head Girl assignments or with NEWTs. In the end she even went as far as spending the days locked up in her office, sleeping with her head on the table among papers. She knew it wasn't a very Gryffindor thing to do, to avoid them until she left. Hermione feared what they will think of her once she left them never to return. Would they be angry, sad? Will they be betrayed by her actions? Covering herself in work and preparations, Hermione not only avoided them, she also avoided thinking of them altogether.

It was harder as the time passed by and strangely enough, Hermione couldn't wait for the day of her departure to actually come so she can leave all this behind. As bad as the situation ahead of her and the team she worked with seemed, it also felt like she had a chance to start anew, turn a new leaf. That is, of course, if the young Dark Lord doesn't kill her first.

Between avoiding her friends, Head Girl duties, the library, Hermione had little time to meet her new team mates. They were all nice people, intelligent and well versed in dueling, but they weren't Harry and Ron.

Ivan Adler was the most at-ease person in the team, with a quick wit and a charming smile. He was an excellent liar and actor, so he was apparently the one who will be assigned to help them with their background stories and will assist when something goes wrong and suspicions arise. Hermione had the strangest instinct that he will end up at Slytherin because of this and make a good infiltrator for that closed off society.

His blond not-quite-friend was Alexander Krause and was apparently there to ensure they have a decent amount of brooding in the team. He was silent most of the time, which was a strange trait for a Quidditch player and the team captain. Krause was their to-be sports infiltrator, because obviously a lot of things can be heard from the other players when they were in the changing rooms. Not that Hermione knew anything about that,

Astra Croix was probably the person who surprised her the most. Hermione never really had much of a history of being friends with girls. She and Astra clicked really well with each other since the first meeting they held in the Room of Requirements. Astra was bright, but observant, and she looked very inconspicuous and innocent with large green eyes and light brown hair. Ivan once mentioned she would make the perfect spy, and Hermione found herself agreeing with him.

All in all, her team was quite diverse in talents and personalities and Hermione wondered where she fit in. Once McGonagall explained this to her, she thought that she might've been happier if she hadn't known. She was something like bait, since they planned on using her intelligence and attitude that was quite different from the attitudes of most girls in the '40s to attract attention of the young Dark Lord and his followers. Hermione had problems deciding whether she was afraid of the importance of her assignment or excited to have such a large part in this.

Also, Hermione and the rest of the team spent some time reading and collecting information about Hogwarts and the magical world in the '40s. Hermione wasn't impressed with the lack of magical theory in some fields. They also decided not to discuss much about the plan before seeing the situation they will get thrown into. Hermione felt a bit under prepared because of that, since she was used to having everything ready, but after some convincing she agreed.

It was late after midnight when Hermione closed the door behind the Heads' Common Room, hoping that the Ravenclaw Head Boy was not a light sleeper. She dragged her baggage behind her quite loudly before muttering a silencing spell. She glided through the long and empty hallways with flickering fire enlightening them and protecting her from complete darkness. For some reason, Hermione felt tears prickling in the corner of her eyes. She was silently saying goodbye to her Hogwarts. McGonagall also advised her not to say goodbye to her friends, so Hermione just hugged them both after dinner and smiled before barricading herself into the Heads' Room. She didn't cry until now.

Straightening herself and wiping the tears quickly from her eyes, Hermione watched as the doors to the Room of Requirement appeared in front of her eyes. She pushed them firmly and entered the room before she could get the chance to change her mind and flee as a coward. Everyone was there and waiting with their baggage. Mr. Cousteau, who she later learned was Astra's uncle, was already preparing for the ritual, Mr. Fuhrmann was giving some last minute advice and McGonagall was smiling gently at her.

Something in Hermione's chest tightened.

"Miss Granger, have you brought everything necessary," Hermione nodded slowly as McGonagall offered her a white envelope "Very well, then I believe you are ready to depart .This is the letter you will give to professor Dumbledore once you arrive there."

Hermione took the letter in her shaky hands. It was completely white, with no names or instructions on it but she could feel it slightly vibrating with magic. It was closed, but it didn't mean she couldn't stare at it with a frown and hope its contents are going to reveal themselves to her.

"One more thing," McGonagall's voice made her gaze leave the envelope and look at the face of her Headmistress "Take care once you're there, Hermione."

Hermione smiled at her and nodded. There was no chance she was going to let everyone down, not when she knew how people depended on her although most of them didn't even know what she was doing. Before Hermione could leave her presence, she wrapped her arms around the older woman, much to her surprise. It was strangely encouraging, and Hermione felt tears prickling in the corner of her eyes again. The older woman returned the hug and soothingly tapped her back.

A few short moments later Hermione moved away and smiled sadly at McGonagall. That was it, it was now or never. But, before she completely pulled out of her reach, Headmistress took her hand and put a small time-turner in it. Confused, Hermione wondered whether it was a parting gift or something else.

"If you can make it work, we will see each other again," the Headmistress said before pulling away and approaching Mr. Cousteau. Hermione dropped her gaze towards the time turner and questioningly observed it. To her disappointment, it looked just like any other time-turner. Deciding to investigate it further a bit later, Hermione stuffed it into the pocket of her dark cloak.

"Is Madame Granger ready to begin?" Mr. Cousteau asked her. She nodded and dragged her baggage into a marked circle right beside the rest of her comrades. Ivan looked amused, Alexander seemed mildly distressed and Astra was on the verge of running away. Hermione felt quite empty as she straightened herself.

As Mr. Cousteau spoke in a language she couldn't understand, she could feel thick the magic in the air. It was heavy and old, very hard to perform, so it wasn't a surprise it was lost for such a long time. McGonagall looked very proud and yet very sad, as if she already knew something will go wrong. But, Hermione rationalized, she couldn't have possibly known anything. If they knew, if anyone knew what was waiting for them on the other side, they would've never even started this mission.

All the candles went out as the four young wizards and witches disappeared into thin air. What a crazy plan this was, indeed.


	2. This Is Not Where I Belong

**Hey guys! Here's the second chapter and I really hope you will like it! Thanks for those who favorited and followed the story and those who reviewed! Means a ton to me to see that people are reading this! This chapter is kind of like the transition chapter I decided to slip in. Originally, this and the next chapter were the part of the same one, but I haven't finished it yet so I decided it was far too long and I didn't want you to wait too long! R&R! Hope you will like it :)**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, unfortunately... **

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**This Is Not A Fairytale **

_**This Is Not Where I Belong**_

**September 4****th**** 1944. Hogwarts 8:39PM**

It felt as for the few short moments she didn't exist anywhere, as is she just disappeared. But, since she was able to worry about not-existing, Hermione was sure that she was still alive and somewhere. But the floating feeling of emptiness lasted for a few more seconds before Hermione felt herself breathing and thinking clearly once more. She opened her eyes to find herself sprawled over the cold floor, staring at the well-known ceiling of her school. Her baggage landed right next to her and was thankfully unharmed. Something told her that having her unmentionables thrown around wasn't a great way to start the new school year.

Propping herself on her elbows, Hermione could see the easily recognizable long hallway of Hogwarts. Seeing the flames that enlightened it, she was sure they arrived at night, which was good considering that they had fewer students to worry about seeing her in a vulnerable state she was in. Remembering she didn't arrive alone, Hermione turned her head around to see her three team mates unconscious, lying on the floor just as she did moments ago. The boys stirred after a few moments, confused looks on their faces, while Astra continued sleeping, her chest rising and falling slowly.

Shifting her weight as she stood up from the stone floor, Hermione could feel her back protesting. It felt like she was slammed to the floor with a large force, which wouldn't be that impossible considering the power of the spell they used to get the four of them here. Hermione removed the dust gathered on her dark cloak and secured her bushy locks of hair into a high bun before turning to the two boys who were sitting and were obviously in pain by their experience. Astra was still sleeping quite peacefully on the floor next to her baggage.

"We need to get started and check if we reached our destination," Hermione said as she crossed her arms seriously "For all we know we might've ended in the wrong year."

Ivan nodded slightly before he rose to his feet, all amusement drained from his eyes. It will return later, but he was in far too much pain to be his easy going usual self. He too dusted off his cloak and walked over to Hermione as she waited. Alexander too was soon on his feet and he took his baggage before looking up at Hermione for instructions. _Great._ She didn't want the responsibility of being in charge of this, so she averted her gaze towards Astra.

"What are we going to do with little Starlight over here?" Ivan asked with his casual smirk "Leaving her sprawled in the hallway sounds fun, but kind of mean. But she does seem to be very tired."

"We need to wake her up, we can't risk getting caught here by someone," Hermione said ignoring his ridiculous proposal of leaving the girl there. She walked up to where Astra was lying and crouched next to her. Grasping her shoulder lightly she gently tried to wake up the girl. Upon a few seconds Astra's green eyes opened slightly.

"Are we there yet?" she asked and yawned slightly.

"I believe we are in Hogwarts, but we still need to check what the date is," Hermione answered as she helped the petite blonde up. She was shaky on her legs but caught her balance after a few more moments. Still yawning slightly, Astra took her suitcase with the Beauxbaton's logo and seemed as ready to go as she'll ever be.

"Okay, we all know the plan. First we will be off to check if the time is right, get ourselves sorted and try not to screw up with our backstories," she smiled slightly in order to improve the atmosphere "After that, we'll see what we will do next based on where we are. Are we ready?"

"I have no idea, Granger," Ivan answered honestly and smirked "Let's see where we stand and then we'll see if we are as ready as we think we are."

Agreeing upon this, Hermione and Ivan led the group with confidence while Alexander and Astra strolled casually behind them, gazing around as if they never truly saw Hogwarts. Astra was still quiet and yawning because of her nap earlier and Alexander was just as broody as he was always.

As they walked through the empty corridors she knew so well, Hermione supposed that the students were currently on the Sorting Ceremony in the Great Hall and that they were happily eating and laughing. They were having fun and enjoying their time while she and her friends were tasked with destroying someone who will grow up to become a Dark Lord. Life truly had a great sense for irony. Too bad Hermione couldn't find it in herself to be amused by it. She remembered Headmistress McGonagall's instructions about where Dumbledore's office was situated since she refused to just barge in the Great Hall.

As they stood before the doors to his office, which were closed as expected considering the older wizard was probably attending the Ceremony, every one of them spoke little and they seemed lost in their own thoughts. It was scary in a way she couldn't imagine up until now. They all left their homes, everything they ever knew in their lives and sacrificed their very existence only to provide a safe outcome for the world they left. They were supposed to feel proud by their selfless actions, but the truth was that none of them felt like the hero he was supposed to feel.

Hermione was leaning onto a wall and twirling her wand in her hand, her gaze lost somewhere in the distance. Astra was sitting on her large suitcase, her eyes tired and barely open. Alexander stood next to her, his arms crossed and his gaze concentrated on a single point on the door. And Ivan was also leaning onto the wall like Hermione on the other side of the door, but he was staring at the ceiling.

Hermione was the first one to hear the steps as she pushed herself off the wall and straightened herself. She stopped herself from jumping when she saw the familiar face of her old Headmaster, looking not as old as when she last saw him, walking towards them in his green robes with purple stars and his half-moon spectacles. His slightly confused look transformed into a small smile as he neared the four new students.

"What a surprise. Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked calmly watching the four of them behind his spectacles with interest. Before she could stop herself, Hermione stepped forward.

"We are the new transfer students," she said with a smile "Here is the letter explaining our circumstances." Hermione gave him the white envelope given to her by McGonagall. Dumbledore carefully took the envelope before turning it in his hands. Raising his gaze up he nodded towards the door.

The Transfiguration teacher had an interesting office. It was not small, but it was overflowing with artifacts, books and scrolls all over. Hermione turned her head around the office a few time and so did the others, since it was hard to notice anything from the first time looking at it. In Hermione's opinion it was a big pile of mess, but had its own charm, as did its owner who now sat behind a large wooden table and looked at the four youngsters with amusement, the letter sitting open in front of him.

"Now, I must admit I am quite interested in how I managed to send four students back in time," he said "But I suppose I'll have to wait for a couple more decades to find out, won't I?"

"I am very sorry, sir, but we cannot answer any more of your questions about the future besides that what is already written in the letter," Hermione answered.

"Yes, I wouldn't dare ask them, even. Knowing your future can sometimes be more frightful than not knowing it," he answer with a smile "But, what I do need to ask whether or not you have your backstories and names figured out."

"Of course we do, sir. My name is Hermione Pierce, a Beauxbaton's transfer student came here to finish my last year of education. The other lady is Astra Rey, a sixth year transfer from Beauxbaton's," she explained before looking at Ivan "Then we have Ivan Dieter and Alexander Frey from Durmstrang, also seventh year transfers."

Hermione was kind of unsatisfied with the fact that she would spend the rest of her life as someone else. Instead of being a muggleborn witch, she was now a halfblood whose origins were quite blurred. Astra ended up with the last name of a large but not so prominent pureblood family, as did Alexander, while Ivan ended up as a halfblood and was quite excited to try himself in this role. None of them were muggleborn since it was a dangerous thing to be at the time of Grindelwald.

Dumbledore looked at them for a couple of seconds before nodding. Hermione looked over at her companions who looked positively ready to get on with the Sorting and go to sleep. Astra was already on the verge of falling asleep again. Hermione kind of felt sorry for the girl. Because of her petite figure and her gentler nature, she ended up as a sixth year, which put her a bit isolated from others.

"Very well, we will proceed with the sorting right away, since I am sure that your travel was difficult and you only wish to go to your dorms," Dumbledore nodded and stood up from his table "We will need to visit the Headmaster and inform him first of the new students. You will also acquire you schedules there."

Dumbledore led them through the hallways, occasionally passing by a student or two who threw them curious looks. Hermione knew the way to the Headmaster's office by heart, but still walked two steps behind Dumbledore so she could appear as a new student should. As they reached the statue, Dumbledore announced the password and before long they were climbing the familiar spiral staircase.

Behind a gigantic table was sitting a half-bald man who was writing something with a look of disinterest on his face and who Hermione immediately recognized as Headmaster Dippet. For some reason, she felt instant dislike for the man, although she knew she had no apparent reason to do so.

"Ah, Dumbledore. What is it? I am very busy at the moment with the paperwork," he announced, not raising his head from his papers "I cannot be disturbed by insignificant things."

"Of course, I just wanted to inform you that four transfers arrived late and need to be sorted to their Houses," Dumbledore simply said.

Dippet raised his gaze and looked over the four of them before again lowering it and continuing scribbling on the paper. His lack of interest appalled Hermione who expected him to at least ask some questions about them and their pasts, the reasons they were here. As those questions never came, she relaxed a bit, hoping that more people will be as easy to work with as he was.

"That's wonderful, professor, but as I said, I am quite busy," he announced again "Why don't you help the new students and sort them out. I am sure you'll do a marvelous job."

Dumbledore nodded slightly and took the Sorting Hat from the table. He instructed Astra to sit onto a small wooden chair, Hermione remembered from her own sorting. Astra looked almost fearful as she sat on the chair with the Hat on her head. She frowned a bit, obviously discussing something important about her sorting with the Hat before it shouted.

"Ravenclaw!" and in seconds the hat was off of her head and she was happy because of it. Hermione couldn't say that she was actually very surprised by what happened. Astra was very intelligent and curious and there was no doubt Ravenclaw will do well for her. Hermione hugged her shortly and smiled at her.

Alexander sat next on the chair with disinterest as the Hat was slipped to his head. He took a lot longer than Astra, but he never seemed to change his face expression. Hermione started uncomfortably shifting her weight from one leg to another as she waited the hat to declare something. Finally, after almost ten full minutes, the Hat shouted "Gryffindor!". That wasn't a large surprise either for Hermione. Except his brooding persona, he was quite the Quidditch player from what she heard and his personality also seemed reliable and honorable enough for the House of Lions.

Ivan was very possibly trying not to explode from excitement. He beamed at Hermione and winked, as if trying to say that everything will be great. While not completely persuaded, Hermione returned the smile and nodded in encouragement, not that he needed any. The Hat was soon on his head and he seemed quite amused by the things it said to him, if his smile was anything to judge from. But, not too long after the Hat yelled "Slytherin!" and in seconds he was confidently strolling towards Hermione.

Finally, once Hermione sat down on the chair with everyone looking at her and the Sorting Hat suddenly slipped on her head, she felt weirdly excited, but suppressed it. In seconds she could clearly hear the Hat's voice in her mind.

"_Ah, Miss Granger, or is it Miss Pierce you're called this time around? I seem to recall you've been sorted into Gryffindor the last time we talked."_

"_Yes, and that's where I would like to be sorted this time around, too,"_

"_Hmmm… I don't think that you are supposed to go to Gryffindor any more than you're supposed to go to Hufflepuff, Miss Pierce. I feel like Ravenclaw would do you good, or even better – Slytherin."_

"_What? I haven't changed that much to go to Slytherin, have I?"_

"_Oh, do not worry so Miss Pierce, I just have a feeling you've overgrown your place in Gryffindor, like you are searching for more, and that more would be at hands reach in Slytherin."_

Hermione spent a few silent moments as she thought about what the Hat was saying to her. She _overgrown_ her place in Gryffindor? What does that even mean? It wasn't as if there was some kind of limit preventing her to come into the House of Lions, was there? As she pondered on this, the Hat seemed to make the decision for her instead.

"Slytherin!"

And before she could open her mouth and stare, Hermione was up from the chair, the Hat was off of her head and Ivan playfully winked at her. She was just sorted into the House of Snakes. Hermione knew it was always a possibility for her to be sorted anywhere, but it never included Slytherin since she always erased that name first from the list. Of course, after that she would erase Hufflepuff and she was so sure she would be sorted into Gryffindor again or into Ravenclaw, since the Hat wanted to put her there the last time.

What also surprised her was the fact that both 'halfbloods' Ivan and her were acting as were sorted in the so-called 'purest' of the Houses. Of course, Ivan was a pureblood and perhaps the Hat recognized him as such, but it still didn't explain letting a muggleborn into Slytherin. Hermione knew from experience that something like that was extremely rare. Still, it was better than the alternative of being in the House of Snakes alone.

While completely unplanned and shocking, Hermione quickly pulled herself out of her reverie and tried to tune in what professor Dumbledore was saying.

"…to prefects and the Head Boy and Girl who are from the Houses Slytherin and Gryffindor, respectively," he said "Based on what the Hat sensed from you, these are you schedules for this year," Dumbledore handed them the papers before smiling cheerfully "I see you all on Transfiguration tomorrow, but it is time now for you all to go to your respective dorms."

At that moment there was a knock on the door and a tall and pretty dark haired girl in Gryffindor uniform entered and nodded towards professor Dumbledore and Headmaster Dippet, who was pretty much still scribbling something in his papers, ignoring everyone else.

"Professor Dumbledore sir, I heard we have new transfers in Gryffindor," she smiled slightly and there was something recognizable on her face as Hermione watched her.

"Ah, yes we do," Dumbledore said "Mr. Frey this is the Gryffindor Head Girl, Miss Minerva McGonagall and she will show you to the Gryffindor Common Rooms. If you have any issues feel free to visit whenever."

Alexander bowed to her, Durmstrang-style, and Hermione could swear young McGonagall didn't expect that because she blushed furiously and nodded quickly. Hermione was quite surprised to see young Minerva McGonagall in Hogwarts, and wondered briefly why her Headmistress never said anything about this?

Just a few seconds after a boy with a prefect badge and Ravenclaw uniform entered the room and formally greeted Dumbledore and Dippet, who continued scribbling on his paper with obvious disinterest. Hermione's dislike for the current Headmaster was growing by the minute. The Ravenclaw prefect introduced himself as Jordan Abbott and seemed interested in finding out about Astra's schedule and grades in Beauxbaton's. Ravenclaws sometimes tended to be more biased and mean than Slytherins when it came to their studies and grades.

Seeing that she and Ivan now only needed the Head Boy, who was conveniently enough from Slytherin, to take them to their dorms Hermione patiently waited while Ivan was looking around the big office. What made Hermione nervous was the fact that she knew who the Head Boy was, or rather who he was becoming. Ivan knew that too, but he kept his masterfully crafted easy-going façade and Hermione couldn't do anything but feel a bit jealous about his acting skills. Everything would be so easier for her if she was a better liar and actress.

Upon hearing to firm, confident knocks on the door, Hermione felt her lungs tightening. Before she could mentally prepare herself for seeing him, he strolled in calmly and let his gaze pass over the room, like he owned it. He was tall, at least seven inches taller from Hermione's 5ft6 frame. Everything about him held a certain air of perfection and politeness, from his dark hair and uniform to his friendly-looking smile. Only his eyes, which were very dark green, seemed to be very empty.

"Professor, Headmaster," he greeted shortly with a polite smile "I hear Slytherin will have two new transfer students?"

"Ah, Tom," Dippet finally rose from his seat with a wide smile and tapped him on the back "Yes, Slytherin will from now be home to two brilliant new students. Mr...?" Dippet muffled something as he looked at Ivan.

"Ah, I am Ivan Dieter. Transferred from Durmstrang for my seventh year," Ivan smiled widely and shook hands with him before smiling slightly at Hermione who was still trying to smile something that didn't look like a grimace "And this lovely lady is Hermione Pierce, a seventh year also, transferring from Beauxbaton's. Between me and you, if anyone is brilliant here, it would have to be her!"

Hermione wanted to shake his hand and even managed to smile a bit, but he bowed and kissed it with a small smile tucking at the corner of his lips. Hermione's tight smile was now stuck on her face as she tried not to scream, run or do anything else that might be inappropriate or suspicious.

"A pleasure, Miss Pierce," he said "The House of Slytherin is glad to have you both."

"Aren't they wonderful, Tom?" asked Dippet as he beamed at him but then something in Hermione's hands attracted his attention "And wouldn't you look at that. It seems young Miss Pierce has the same number of classes as you do. Astounding, I say, never saw a witch with such a capacity, I admit,"

"I have a wide field of interests, Headmaster," she tried not to sound offended by his tone.

"Of course, of course Miss Pierce," he nodded "I just hope this won't strain that pretty little head of yours." Dippet laughed shortly, oblivious to curses Hermione was tossing at him in her head.

"You needn't worry, sir. I have yet to find a subject I am not good with in my school studies," Hermione said confidently. The way Dippet's face froze told her he didn't expect her to answer him anything. From the other side she could feel Riddle's gaze on her, obviously surprised too. He was probably wondering whether she was all talk or if she was actually that intelligent. Hermione suddenly wanted to prove herself to all of them, but when a hand clasped her shoulder she calmed down. Thankful for the distraction, she smiled to Ivan.

"Very well, then," Dippet said a bit colder than before "Tom, you should get the new students back to the dormitories, it is quite late and they all had a long journey." With that he returned back behind his table and continued scribbling on his paper.

Hermione found herself subconsciously clenching her hand into a fist. Thankfully, before anyone could notice, Ivan slipped his hand into hers as a sign of support and smiled reassuringly. The two of them left the office like that. Being in the House of Snakes along with the darkest wizard of all times was dangerous, and they were perfectly aware that in the future they will only have each other to lean on.


	3. This Is Not A Friendship

**Hello once more! Here's the third chapter of the story. I hope you will like it. This is a dialogue based chapter with some new characters. There is still not much interaction between Tom and Hermione, but I can promise you that there will be, I just need him to get the bait and then I'll get the whole story rolling. This happens partially in the next chapter which I already started writing! **

**I really want to thank all those who reviewed from the bottom of my heart! Also to those who followed or favorite-d the story. You're the best! It means a lot to me to see people reading this. The next chapter will be up by during the weekend! Till then ****R&R! **

**-Caerina**

* * *

**This Is Not A Fairytale**

_**This Is Not A Friendship**_

**September 4****th**** 1944. Hogwarts 10:12PM**

The only thing that was heard through the long, empty hallways of Hogwarts were her black Mary-Jane shoes. The more time she spent in her _new_ uniform, the more she felt uncomfortable in it. The white shirt was the same as in her time, with the green Slytherin sigil over her heart, the skirt was black and a bit longer than she was used to with dark socks beneath it. She didn't feel comfortable in those clothes in the slightest. The uniform she used to wear to school in the 90s was like her second skin, and the things she was wearing now, although very similar, were just not the same.

Her hand was still in Ivan's as they walked two steps behind Riddle. Ivan seemed as if he spent his whole life in these hallways. His posture was confident, his eyes gleaming with hidden curiosity as he kept his gaze straight ahead of him. If she hadn't met him as good as she did in the past four days, Hermione would've thought he was completely uninterested with his new school. But, she knew better. Ivan was just waiting for a moment to fly away and sniff around the school. His hand was still firmly grasping hers as they walked. Hermione liked the reassuring feeling, like everything was going to be okay. Both of them knew it wasn't.

Riddle seemed unperturbed by them. His steely eyes were kept calm – polite but uninterested in them. It was a good thing, after all, they could do much more with their plans without a Dark Lord sniffing around and trying to find out about them. Thankfully, McGonagall and her foreign associates took care of most things he could sniff about. Their pasts, along with their fake family names were quite nicely fitted together, the real truths blurry enough for their existence to be possible. Besides, Ivan and Hermione were now halfbloods, the worst danger they could attract was mean housemates and biased idiots trying to make their lives miserable. It would take a whole lot more than those to take her down, besides, Hermione spent most of her schooling days being bullied by Malfoy junior and his squad, so she had a lot of experience with that. Also, she was sure that if any other person could deal with this too, it was Ivan. The boy was an incredible actor.

For a few brief moments, Hermione's thoughts were directed towards Alexander and Astra who were in Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, respectively. Although the two of them won't have anyone in their new Houses, they also had no young Dark Lords on their hands. It was a good thing too, since Hermione could stop thinking about them being targets. While Alexander could probably deal with most troubles sent his way as a seventh year Gryffindor, she wasn't sure that Astra as a sixth year Ravenclaw would be just as capable. She was smart, but she was vulnerable, and Hermione would've hated for her to become a sitting duck waiting to be killed. It was best to keep her as far away from Slytherin and Riddle as possible. The only thing that was somewhat worrisome were their meetings. It would be suspicious to see four so different people as them sitting together in the Great Hall, but how else were they supposed to swap information? She was sure that she and Astra could talk among each other, and saying that she was taking care of her younger friend with whom she spent her years at Beauxbaton's wasn't that far-fetched. The same could be said for Ivan and Alexander, the alleged Durmstrang transfers, although that would be quite suspicious considering that they were now in two rivaling Houses.

Hermione kept frowning and thinking. She needed a solution for their meetings, she needed to deal with her new housemates and she needed to take care of the young Dark Lord and his minions. Life never seemed as busy like in that very moment. A hand on her shoulder made the line of her thoughts snap and made her return to reality.

"Ms. Pierce, you're daydreaming again?" Ivan smiled "I believe Mr. Riddle asked you something."

Hermione was slightly surprised as her gaze switched from Ivan's amicable smile to Riddle's cold, dark green eyes. He was smiling politely, but it just didn't seem right on his face. He was so handsome that it made it hard for Hermione to believe what he was to become in a few decades from now.

"I am sorry, Monsieur Riddle," she said, slipping a word in French to prove her point "The journey was so exhausting, I probably fell asleep while walking. Please do repeat your question and I will give my best to answer it." Hermione smiled politely.

"Understandable, Ms. Pierce," he nodded, keeping his eyes on hers "I was wondering whether you find Beauxbaton's Academy is very different from Hogwarts."

"Quite different," she nodded, but didn't elaborate further "Though I think I'll find my way through fast enough." Hermione gave him a tight smile, her knuckles white from squeezing Ivan's hand in hers.

"Of course you will, Ms. Pierce, you're brilliant!" Ivan nudged her slightly and she beamed at him.

"The two of you know each other before Hogwarts?" Riddle threw them a calculating look.

"Yes, our families go far back," Ivan easily said "We practically know each other ever since we were kids. When I heard that she'll be enrolling here I couldn't pass up the opportunity."

"Was Hogwarts not your first choice?" Riddle asked simply as he watched Ivan.

"Well I was kind of in the middle of deciding where to go. I was actually invited to Merlin's High Academy in America, but Hermione's enrollment here was what decided, really." Ivan slipped a charming smile directed towards Hermione.

"And what about you, Ms. Pierce? Why have you decided to enroll here, at Hogwarts?" Riddle asked, turning his attention towards her. This started to remind Hermione of an interrogation, and she didn't like it.

"Well, I was always a bit taken by all the stories and history that surrounded this place. It's exhilarating being here, and actually being sorted into one of the four Houses." Hermione said happily, trying to mask the fact that her heart was starting to break her ribs. Riddle assessed her for few seconds before Ivan attracted his attention once more.

"True. I remember you used to carry that blasted book with you all the time. I swear you knew every single word that was written in it," Ivan chuckled "You were quite disappointed when your parents got you enrolled in Beauxbaton's Academy."

Hermione nodded and slowly lowered her gaze towards the floor. Her _parents_, the Pierce family, were apparently both dead in the war, so she needed to play the part of the emotionally hurt daughter. Considering that her real parents were dead too, Hermione didn't need to act so much as just remember their faces. Ivan rubbed her shoulder slightly and smiled gently, his face apologetic for mentioning her dead parents. _He was such a great actor._

From the corner of her eye, Hermione could see Riddle observing them with a calculating glint in his dark green eyes. They already reached the dungeons, and the atmosphere here was considerably colder and wetter. Hermione couldn't say she was looking forward to see her new dorms, or meet her new dorm mates. She couldn't help but have some prejudiced thoughts about her pureblood lady friends.

"_Superbia." _Riddle said and they entered the Slytherin Commons. Hermione found it rather ironic to see that their password was _Pride_, of all things.

Just like Hermione was expecting, the words she would use to describe the Slytherin Commons were luxurious, rich and cold. There was a lot of green, _no surprise there_, and a lot of stone. Although there was a fire burning in front of the main area of the room, the temperature was chilly, not unpleasant, but not as hot as it used to be in the Gryffindor Commons at this time of year. Luxurious pieces of furniture were tastefully scattered all over the place; they were made of deep, dark wood and dark green. It didn't look like a place to run around, joke and play tag. It looked like a place for fancy parties and elegant people. So much for that.

"The girl's dorms are on the left staircase, the boys' dorms are to the right," Riddle explained "Ms. Pierce, you and will be sharing the dorms with just one more seventh-year. I believe she will be here in a few moments to show you around. Meanwhile, I will show Mr. Dieter around."

It felt a few notches colder once Ivan's hand left mine. He smiled encouragingly and left after Riddle towards the right staircase. Well, at least she wasn't in the same dorm as the future Darkest Wizard of all times, and that was a plus. Hermione took a few steps forward and looked around the massive Common Room. It was as if there were at least dozens of half-separated mini-common rooms around. There were few younger students chatting around, but none of them seemed to be older than fifth-years.

"Miss Hermione Pierce?" a female voice inquired and Hermione turned around to face a girl. She was pretty, around her age, with straight strawberry blonde hair pulled up in a simple ponytail. The girl was smiling and the skin around her dark, almost black eyes was slightly wrinkled. Hermione decided instinctively that she liked her and smiled back.

"Yes, that's me," Hermione offered her hand and the girl smiled even wider before accepting it and shaking it.

"It's great to meet you, Hermione. You don't mind me calling you that?" she asked and Hermione just shook her head and smiled "My name is Morgana Rosier, and until you came I was the only female in seventh year."

"A great pleasure, Morgana," Hermione smiled slightly, trying not to flinch when she heard her last name "Mr. Riddle said you were going to show me around the girls' dorm."

"Oh, of course, you must be tired. I'll show you right away," Morgana smiled before moving towards the left staircase. She opened the door to reveal a large room with two big beds, engulfed in green. There was a large mirror on the wall, two wardrobes and two tables two work. Hermione smiled and threw her beaded bag onto the bed on the right side. Her suitcase was already there and so were her school books and other necessities.

"Do you mind if I see your schedule?" Morgana asked.

"Of course, here," Hermione gave the girl the slightly wrinkled paper.

"You're… You're practically taking everything?" she asked as she eyed Hermione's schedule "How many OWLs did you get?"

"I got eleven OWLs in my fifth year," she said proudly "In Astronomy, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies."

"No Divination? Surprising, considering most girls tend to take the subject to find their one true love," Morgana said, her voice mockingly dreamy "But then again, you don't look like most girls to me."

"Let's just say my inner eye is a bit blind," Hermione answered "Do we have any classes together?"

"Definitely," Morgana smiled "We've got Potions, Charms and Defense together tomorrow. Too bad I actually got only six OWLs, and dropped a subject. I thought my seventh year was going to be so boring, but then you came along and I feel like the two of us are going to go along well."

"Trust me, I have no intentions of making my last year anything short of unforgettable." Hermione said with a smile.

Morgana had no idea how true that was for Hermione. It wasn't every year that you travel five decades through time only to destroy a Dark Wizard. That feat can hardly ever become anything she was going to forget anytime soon.

* * *

The next morning, Hermione was slowly walking with Morgana to the Great Hall. It was still quite early, so Morgana warned Hermione that the others from their House probably won't be up for another half an hour or so. Hermione didn't mind.

The great hall looked just the same as it did in her own time. Large and covered in sunlight, with the ceiling beautifully charmed to be a blue sky. The Gryffindor table was just as empty as the Slytherin table was, just a few younger student excitingly talking to each other. On the other hand, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were full of many more students. Hermione searched through the blue crowd for a familiar face, but Astra was nowhere to be seen. Many of the Ravenclaws were staring at their open books, while the Hufflepuffs were chatting happily among themselves. It always seemed like rainbows and unicorns and sunshine with them, Hermione thought wistfully.

"The Hufflepuffs are always like that. I kind of admire their ability to stay happy at any given moment," Morgana chuckled "But they tend to be a bit wary of us, so they usually stick around Gryffindors. Ravenclaws aren't the friendliest bunch, but we have this mutual arrangement to politely ignore each other."

"What about Gryffindors?" Hermione asked with interest.

"It would be an understatement to say we dislike each other," she smirked "Still, some of them seem okay. The McGonagall girl is very smart, the Head Girl this year, and she got nine OWLs which is more than any other girl, before you came at least."

"Yes, I've met her. But she didn't really pay any attention to me," Hermione admitted sheepishly "She doesn't seem to like Slytherins very much."

"No, she isn't very open to the House Unity ideas and all that, but at least she is quite fair when it comes to point deduction and punishments," Morgana said and took a sip of her pumpkin juice "But there are some who are more open in their dislike. We get more pranks on our doorstep than any other House."

Hermione just smiled to her and continued scanning the Great Hall. As more and more Gryffindors poured into the place, the more melancholy she felt. She watched as they joked, laughed and talked loudly with one another, causing the nearby Ravenclaws to send them nasty glares for being interrupted from their readings. The Gryffindors didn't even notice them, and even if they did, they ignored them and continued with their loud chattering. Hermione missed that. She could already imagine herself sitting between Harry and Ron and reading something important for the next class while the two of them chatter about Quidditch or some other nonsense over her. She missed it all so much. She missed the two of them so much.

When she accepted this mission, Hermione thought about saving the Wizarding World, saving all those lives that were lost in the past, but she never really thought how long that would make her feel, how isolated and even a bit afraid. Everything they sacrificed to get four brilliant but still only students here and now all depended on them. That was what scared her more than anything else so far.

"Hermione?" a voice interrupted "Are you listening to me?"

"Sorry, I drifted off a bit," Hermione shrugged and smiled apologetically "I was thinking about Potions and what will we work on today. I'm a bit worried."

"Don't worry, Slughorn is the Head of our House, we always get high grades," Morgana winked "But for any other issue beyond the classroom, I can't say he's very… Capable of solving any problems, except getting us out of detention."

Hermione took a piece of toast and started eating it as she thought about the Potions professor. It sounded as if he hadn't changed much. He was practically the same in her time.

"Oh, here are the boys," Morgana waved to someone in the crowd and Hermione raised her head just in time to see Riddle, Ivan and three more boys casually taking places around the two of them. Ivan sat next to Hermione and smiled. Hermione returned the smile. The other three boys, along with Riddle sat across the table.

"And how is our favorite seventh year girl this morning?" one of the boys asked with a smirk.

"Oh, you always make me feel so loved, dear Orion," Morgana mocking smile "But, I believe I will now have to share that position. I trust you've all heard that we have a new transfer. Boys, this is Miss Hermione Pierce."

Hermione raised her gaze from her plate only to meet three pairs of eyes staring at her. She smiled slightly, trying to make the awkward moment go away. Suddenly, she felt very self-conscious. Was her hair worse than usual? Perhaps she was supposed to listen to Morgana and take care of it differently. A lazy-looking bun wasn't the most elegant of things to wear on your first day of school. Or did she have leftover food on her face?

"Boys, stop staring, that's very rude," Morgana said seriously "And will you close your mouths, it's disgusting. Now, introduce yourselves before you scare Hermione away."

"Abraxas Malfoy, at your service," a silver-haired boy stood up and bowed with an easy smile. She should've guessed him for a Malfoy, because their appearance was quite… Unique. He looked quite like Draco Malfoy from her time, but he was a bit taller with wider shoulders, and bigger, more muscular constitution. Hermione could assume he was a Quidditch player too. She smiled and nodded.

"I am Orion Black and can I just say I am completely charmed, Miss Pierce," he said and kissed her hand, making Hermione blush just slightly. He was a bit smaller than Malfoy, but still very attractive. His hair was dark and slightly curly, and his eyes were light blue, almost like ice. She could clearly hear Morgana snorting from her side. Apparently this happened quite frequently.

"Oh get off your high horse, Black," she said "You are apparently charmed with anything that wears a skirt. No offense to you, Hermione," Morgana added.

"Jealous, love?" he asked her as he sat back into his seat and raised a dark eyebrow.

"Hardly," she said nonchalantly "And don't call me that." Orion smirked.

"Miss Pierce, please pay no attention to the two of them," the last boy said, his brown hair slightly falling into his dark eyes "This happens quite often. My name is Atreus Lestrange and it's a pleasure." He smiled and nodded. Hermione found herself feeling very uneasy when she found out what his last name was. Shifting her weight slightly in her seat she nodded and gave him a tight smile.

"It's a pleasure," Hermione said finally "Oh, and Ivan this is Morgana Rosier, Morgana this is Ivan Dieter. He transferred from Durmstrang." They nodded towards each other and Hermione let herself slip out of their conversation. It seemed like Orion Black and Abraxas Malfoy were both very talkative, if a bit arrogant, which wasn't too unusual considering their heritage. The Lestrange boy was very polite and didn't say much, but apparently he was quite clever. The three of them along with Ivan talked like they knew each other for years. Riddle was just sitting on the side, observing their movements and words. Hermione watched him. It was obvious he wasn't the part of their little friendly group, it seemed as if he was above it. But, whenever he asked a question or said anything all of the boys listened carefully, taking in his every word. It was still hard for Hermione to imagine any of the people around her as the first Death Eaters.

"Hermione, you're daydreaming again," Hermione's head snapped towards Ivan who watched her with an amused smirk "Ready for your first day?"

"I don't know, I haven't had the time to get through the books yet. I was so tired last night." She said.

"Come on," he snorted "They have yet to invent something you don't know. I bet you already have the whole curriculum for this year stuck in your head."

"That's right, we heard from Ivan you're very smart for a witch," Abraxas said with a smile. Hermione returned the smile, but inside she was erupting. _For a witch? _Just because she was biologically born as a woman, doesn't mean she's stupid. What was with the people in the forties and their weird ideas about girls?

"She's very smart compared to anyone. I can't remember when was the last time she didn't know an answer to a question," Ivan boasted and Hermione felt like punching him. She knew this was a part of their initial plan, attracting attention with her knowledge, but it made her very self-conscious. Although Ivan couldn't remember when was the last time she didn't know something, she could. Third year, Arithmancy class, she just couldn't remember that damn formula.

"So, you're good with theory then?" Atreus popped in with a question. Before she could answer, Ivan started talking.

"Not good, she's damn near brilliant with theory. And if my memory serves me right, you were quite handy with spells. You very well blew me away when we dueled that summer, some three years back." He turned to her and grinned.

"That's just because you wouldn't put up your shields, so you ended up jumping around the place like an idiot," she said indignantly.

"Felt like a waste of time to raise shields." he admitted sheepishly.

"And that's why I won and you lost." She said simply before smirking.

Hermione turned her head away from him only to see that everyone has been listening in on their conversation. Orion and Abraxas both seemed amused and Atreus just smiled encouragingly to her. Morgana kept looking at Hermione as if she was something of a divinity. Riddle's interest was piqued too.

"Well, Defense is our first class today, so we'll get an opportunity to see you both," Orion piped in.

"You can't mean seriously?" Morgana frowned "I doubt Hermione would want to duel. All other girls are allowed to read theory in the library while you are trying to hurt yourselves."

"Not all. McGonagall always stays," he said "And she's quite good too."

"I truly doubt that. Besides, Mrs. Cecil says girls shouldn't duel or use their magic for anything else but household spells," Morgana said hotly.

"Who's Mrs. Cecil?" Hermione asked with a disgusted face. Any woman with such an attitude doesn't even deserve a wand in the first place, in her opinion.

"Mrs. Eloisa Cecil teaches ALC. It stands for Advanced Ladies Course," Morgana stated proudly "She is very talented and smart and she teaches us everything from kitchen and household charms to how to behave and what to wear for any occasion."

"She is also the biggest bore in the whole school," Orion piped in.

"No, she is not," Morgana said indignantly "I can't wait for me to show Hermione how wonderful her classes are. We are going to have so much fun!"

"What do you mean _we_? I never applied for that subject." Hermione said. She couldn't really imagine having _fun_ baking, cooking or cleaning. She would actually rather spend that time learning about dueling spells or actually dueling with the rest of the class.

"It's mandatory for all girls," Morgana said "But don't worry, I am sure that someone like you will catch up to everything immediately. And I also can't remember anyone ever getting a grade lower than an _Acceptable_."

_They were grading this nonsense of a class? Ridiculous._

"Looks like someone is failing a subject this year." Ivan mocked in a singing voice, pointedly looking at Hermione.

"That's so stupid. I just can't believe it," she said, exasperated "Can't I just drop that subject. I already have eleven other to work on, and I'll just say that being a lady isn't really first on my priority list."

"You can't mean that, Hermione," Morgana's eyes went wide "I promise you these classes are fun and easy and you won't regret them."

"I really doubt that," Hermione said and sighed in defeat.

"Afraid, Hermione?" Ivan challenged "Never saw you as the cowardly type."

"No, I must've gotten that one from you," she could hear the boys snickering, before she stood up from her place "Shouldn't we get going? I mean, unless we want to be late for Defense on our first day."

"Nope… We will have a lot of time for that later on," Abraxas winked and stood up too.

"If you have any plans of dragging her from classes, you are going to be very disappointed," Ivan smirked and stood up. Once the rest of the group was up, they all went out of the Great Hall. The only person she couldn't really find was Riddle, who seemed to have disappeared. The others obviously either didn't see anything, or they were pretending.

"Hey… Wasn't there something we forgot for the Defense?" Morgana froze mid-step.

"Wasn't there summer homework?" Abraxas slapped his forehead.

"Oops." Orion said with a smirk.

As they continued walking, Hermione felt another presence. Turning her head back, she saw Riddle. He was carrying a few scrolls in his left hand and his wand in his right.

_Well of course the future Darkest Wizard of all times did his summer homework. _

Hermione rolled her eyes and continued walking towards her classroom.


End file.
